Pipe-handling apparatus



A. H. BRANDON.

PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, I920.

Patented May 30, 1922.

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M1! BMW Inyenhr' A; H. BRANDON. PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1920, 1 417 490. Patented May 30,1922.

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A: HI PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION F ILED SEPT- 20, 1920.

Patented May 30, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- IIIIIIIW attozngg I A. H. BRANDON. PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1920.

1 417 490 Patented May 30, 1922.

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'15 o Fi 7 5 an I 55 r ,55. a 1x 5| A. H. BRANDON. PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 20, I920- Patented May 30, 1922.

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ARTHUR H. BRANDON, 03E TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHTTR II. BRANDON &

. COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

PIPE-HANDLING AP?ARAT'US.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed September 20, 1920. Serial No. 411,573.

To aZZ whom it may concern 'Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. BRANDON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, have invented new and useful Pipelandling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to assembling and taking apart of threaded members.

This invention has utility when incorporated in apparatus for assembling or taking apart pipe, casing or tubing. especially in vertical lines, as in deep petroleum wells.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side'elevation of an embodiment of the invention in operative position in an oil well derrick;

F ig. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the director or pipe guide of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a detail view, partly in section, of the mounting hinge for the director;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the section rotating apparatus; i

.Fig. 5 is a detail view of the door to the apparatus main frame or mounting;

F ig. 6 is a plan view of the apparatus 01 Fig. 5; parts being broken awa Fig, 7 is a plan view with parts broken away showing the driving ring of the apparatus;

Fig. 8 is a section through the apparatus mounting frame at a jaw, and through the driving ring away from a jaw;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line IXIX, Fig. 7, showing a traveling jaw mounting 'as to the driving ring; Fig. 10 is a section on the line XfX, Fig 9; I

Fig. 11 is a section on the line XI -XI, Fig. 7; Fig. 12 is a plan of driving gear without the jaws; Fig. 13 is a plan of the jaw holder for the'ring of Fig. 12; and Fig. 14 is a section on the line XIV'XIV, Fig. 13.

The derrick 1 is shown as provided with a headache post 2 upon which bolts 8 serve to clamp plates4, 5. The plate 5 has upstanding hinge pin 6 through block having rib 8 embraced by channel 9 anchored tothe block 7 by bolts 10 through slot 11 in the web of the channel 9. The free end of the channel arm 9 carries a U-member 12 anchored to the arm by bolts 13. A pair of slide guide elements 1 1 are adjustably locked by set screws 15. Eyes 16 of the ment of the toggle for aligning up in member 12 carry a pin 17 to mount a door 18 for swinging to closev the U-member 12. when actuated against torsion spring 19-bv a pull on flexible line 20 about segmental pulley 21 fast with hinge pin 17 fixed with the door 18.

When the door 18 is swungclosed, latch 22 as thrown by spring 23, tends normally to maintain such door closed against the action of the torsion spring 19.. A cord or line 241 may be pulled from the station ad acent the line 20, for'unlatching the door 18, some 18 feet above the derrick floor.

A pairof ears 25 mounted on the horizontally swingable arm 9, adjacent member 12 permit ready connection of. link 26 extending to second link 27 of the toggle. This link 27 has extension 28, holding the toggle against falling below horizontal position. Right'and left nut or turnbuckle 28 permits adjust- 051- tion concentric with the well hole in the derrick. at right angles to the adjustment of the length of the arm 9 permitted by the slot 11. Toggle link 27 is pivoted inbearing 29 carried by the derrick 1. A flexible line 30 extending upward from toggle joint pin 31, may be brought down adjacent the drop lines 20. 2 1. Av guide 32, adjusted by set screw 33 carried by the door 18 completes concentric guide group of this pipe director. which guides are adjustable to take care of pipe diameters over a considerable range v When, in use, it is desired to set or re.- move a length of pipe, lin'e'2 1 maybe pulled to open the door 18, and then line 80 pulled to break the toggle and swing the open pipe director or stabber clearjof position overthe well hole. When the nextlength of pipe has been set, 'or 'the' unthreaded length is removed, and the line lifted, the director may be swung back into operative position by allowing the slack the toggle back to horizontal position; and then the door 18 is pulled closed by' line 20. with no adjustment of the guides 14-, 32, if the pipe be of the same size. In the handling of the large pipe, which in the Texas field is up to 2 1- in diameter, this stabber or director is readily operated for accurately aligning the uppermost joint or length of'pipe.

, In practice the curb or derrick fioor'at the well may be provided with a floor plate or spider ring 34 in which wedges 35 may line 30' t0- be dropped to hold a line of pipe by an upper pipe section in suspended position in a well. Such pipe section 86, preferably has its upper threaded end carry a pipe coupling 3-7, into whicn the next director guided pipe section may be engaged.

In completing the assembly or knockdown, especially with the very sizes of pipe, manual rotation is slow and very arduous, although such might occur with the director. To the end of produc-i an eflicient installation susceptible of fully handling a job with rapidity and requiring but few men, a pipe section rotation apparatus is herein disclosed, which. is preferably used in connection with the director, for accurately aligning in avoiding crossing of threads in power rotation of the pipe.

Such apparatus is conveniently in the form of a truck for ready shifting into position over the well in use, and removal tl'ierefrom. when the pipe elevator, or other work adjacent the well hole, is being operated. To

this end rollers 39 have uprights 40 provided with slots 41 engaged by bolts 42 in forming vertically adjustable legs with leg elements 43 downwardly from main frame 44. The height or clearance of the apparatus as to the derrick floor may thus be adjusted.

As a. power drive on'this truck frame 44' there is shown a vertical steam engine 45 having main shaft 46 therefrom carrying clutch 47 which may be shifted by handle 48 to bring pinion 49 into mesh with gear 50 on shaft 51 parallel to shaft 46. This shaft 51 has fast thereon pinion 52in mesh with gear 53 on shaft 54 aligned with the shaft 46. This shaft 54 has pinion 55 in. mesh with gear 56 on upper shaft 57 carrying driving bevel pinion 58. This is the slow speed gear train. For the higher speed of early stages of threading, or the later stages of unthreading, the clutch'47 may so be thrown that the shaft 46 is clutched directly to aligned shaft 54, without the speed reduction through the shaft 51. The bevel pinion 58 is in mesh with sectional bevel gear 59, 60.

The truck frame 44, remote from the power drive, has a U-frame 61, shiftable astride a pipe projecting upward from the well. This main frame or mounting member 61 is provided at the free ends of the legs of the U-portion thereof with pairs ofeyes 62, which may register with eyes 68 of door 64 to carry at one side a hin e pin 65 and at the other side a removable door locking pin 66. The base of the U-frame has hori- Zo-ntally extending therethrough a flat plate 67 inwardly tern'iinat-ing in a pipe gripping jaw 68, which may be radially shifted by bolt 69 through the member 61. A similar opposing jaw is carried by thedoor 64.

A pair of opposing gripping jaws 68 fixed with the mounting 61, 64, constitutes a.

first pipe gripping means, which it is preferable shall grip the pipe section 36 below the pipe coupling 37. Any holding strain is thus taken directly by this apparatusand need not tax the spider 84 and its wedges .The U-frame 61 is provided witha top seat 69 and a ledge 70 (Fig. 8). Sectional arc-plates 71 may be bolted on this ledge 70 to provide an inwardly extending overhang. Carrying member 72 for the gear sec.- tion 59, has outwardly extending flange .73 which may rest on the seat 69 of the member 61. Recess 74 of the member 72 over the flange 73 provides an annular channel for receiving the arc plates. 71, which may be placed in position before the gear section 60 is assembled with the gear section 59. bracket or pad 75 is mounted adjacent the free terminus of each leg'of the U-gear section carrying member 72. These pads 75 provide eyes in registry with eyes of pads 7 6 carried by gear section 60. Hinge pin 77 and removable locking pin 78 complete the annular knockdown assembly o-f-this driving member. Joint break lines 79, 80, allow for maximum capacity of pipe diameters by the member 59.

These members 72, 60, have each a pair of upstanding guides 81 with opposing vertical grooves 82 (Fig. 10) for coacting with guide ribs 83 of a block 84 having horizontal slot 85 in which. is plate 86 radially adjustable by bolt 87 through such block 84 above the slot 85. These plates 86 inwardly terminate in pipe gripping jaws 88 mounted in yokes 89, 90, carried by the respective plates 86. T-heads 91 rising from the. blocks- 84 have terminal eyes through which extend guide pins 92 above compression helical springs 98. Accordingly the blocks 84 and the jaws 88 carried thereby on the plates 86 as the second rotatable pipe gripping means, are normally urged axially away or upward from the first or fixed pipe gripping jaws 68 of the main or mounting frame 61, 64. Plates 94 (Fig. 9) on the guides 81 limit outward travel of the blocks 84. When a pipe section is directed into a coupling, and the jaws 88 adjusted to such pipe section 38, for gripping, first high speed power rotation through the clutch 47 directly to the shaft 54, will cause these jaws 88 to feed downward regularly with the pipe thread pitch. When the downward limit of feed approached, the driving may be stopped, the locking pin 78withdrawn, and the released jaws 88, at once automatically snap upward to the travel limit as determined by the plates 94. The door 60 may then be closed and the driving proceed. Vhen there is slowing up of the motor or engine 45, due to tightness of the joint. the clutch may be shifted for slow speed final tightening. The reverse of these operations occurs when there is to be removal of pipe lines from a Well.

In order that noslight distortionof the apparatus may detract from aligned relation operations as to the two gripping means one driving and one fixed, the yokes 89, 90-are provided. The yoke 90 has terminal pivot pins 95 for rods 96, swingable into holding relation with the slots 97 (Fig. 11) in the ends of theyoke 89, as adjusted by. nuts 98 to thereby permit a throwing of the jaws 88 into gripping relation, even independently of the adjusting bolts 87. For quick control of these jaws, independently of opening the gear sectionfGO, say for resetting'otthejaws 88 by the springs 93, toggle links'99 maybe thrown through link 100 by operating hand lever 101. With the yoke 89 thus released, this yoke 89 as well as the yoke 90, will be shifted upward by the springs 93. When the apparatus is used for the unthreading of pipe being taken from a well,fithe springs 93 are the, pins 92 abovethe heads 91'.

In operation, after an elevator has placed.

a pipe section 36 in positionin a coupling 37, the director has its toggle joint 31 lowered to swing the frame 12 concentrically of the well. -Door18 is closed, and the pipe section .38 is thus properly aligned. The

power driven thread or pipe driving'apparatus is thenshifted to position about the pipe 36. Door 64 is closed to cause'the first gripping means 68; to act as fixed holding means for the pipe section 36. The rotatable gripping means 59, 60, having the jaws 88 is then swung closed 'to grippipe section 38 above the coup'ling37: A turning on of the power --drive,"will allowthe pipe 38 to slide throughthe guides 14, 32, as fed downward by the jaws 88, While the jaws 68 hold the apparatus and pipe 36 fixed. In unthreading'. the reverse direction'fof engine drive is used.

In the instance shown in Fig.12, the main gear section carrying member 7 2,'has rising therefrom guidestems 102 surroundedb-y helical compression springs 103, normally urging upward against caps 104, a jaw carrymg member 105. The jaw plates 86 as adjusted by screws 87 as to one pair thereof, are carried directly on this member 105 away from the gear 59, 60, and yieldable as to such gear, by the springs 103, to allow for the jaws in gripping the pipe to travel along with the progress of the pipe thread pitch. The third jaw 88, is carried by a gate 106., above gate member 107 of the sectional gear. The gate member 107 is mounted on hinge pin 77 and held closed by latchbolt 108. The jaw carrier gate 106 is hinged by pin 109. Torsion spring 110 tends to throw latch 111 into locking engagement with notch 112 when the gate is closed. In this embodiment the three pipe gripping jaws 88,

may follow the pipe as a unit, as all are placed on we y slight 't e aura alignment of the pipe asto the'machlne may then not tend to twist the gear sections, and L the. strength and stability of the structure under even these ad verse condltions permit it to respond practically to the heavyduty requirements of deep oil well operations. In the "use or: this casing machine 1 for taking pipe outof a well, the unthreading ofthe pipe." feeds the gear carried jaws upward.

fiiccordingly'forsuch use,the sp'ring's103 are more conveniently omitted, as .upon release of the jaws 88 at the upper limit of unwind-1 infg, unlatching of the gate 106 at once allows the member 105 to fall byjgravity, and closing of the gate 106', at once resets the jaws for a continuation of the unthreading operation, and the upward-feeding of the ring 105, 106, during such unthreading. The motor 45 is a simple reversible type of steam englne. r f Q 3 In the running uppf pipe, eXcessivetight ening .is avoided by the introduction of I safetyvalve 113'in steam line 114 to the motor 45, between main steam valve 115 and the motor. In normal speed of operation-of the motorf45gthere vmaybe such drop pressure in' the line 114, according to the adjustment of the safety valve .113, that the safety valve will hold, but as themotor slows up due to heavier load, the valve 113 may blow thereby avoiding too.tightf'threading up of thepipe. I 1 'lVhat is claimed and it desiredto se cure'by Letters Patent is! loo 1 1. Nteansptor sustaining pipe in a well including open sides 13W carry ng frame closed forholding the pipe against rotation, andopen sides aw carrying rotatable means rigidly mounted coaxially as to the sustaining means and provided with a pipe grip operableto engagea' pipe" for rotationl'as to the held pipe.

A suspended pipe holding means, a

mounting therefor, and open. side-j aw means closed for gripping a pipe, saidmeanscar ried radially byand coaxially of the mounting, and in fixed coaxial position as'to the holdingmeans and movable axially relatively to the holding means.

3. A pipe section rotation means including a mounting again t lateral movement, a pipe grip fixed as to said mounting, and, a second pipe grip carried by the mounting'coaxially rigid with ,the first grip and rotatable rela tively thereto.

4. A pipe section rotation apparatus including a mounting,-

able. I j

5. A. pipe section rotation apparatus in and a pair of concentric- 1 i ally fixed pipe grips relativelyaxially moveluding a mounting. a pipe grip fixed against I movement as to said mounting, and a second rotatablev pipe grip movable as to. said mounting.

6. A pipe section rotation apparatus, a pipe directing guide axially spaced from the apparatus, and a mounting tor the guide independently of the apparatus.

7. 'Ihreaded-section rotation apparatus v including a mounting, a rotatable. section grip carried by the mounting, a slide guide aligned with the grip for directing a threaded section'as to the-grip, said guide being and a for the guide independently of the apparatus.

, 9. A. directingguide for aligning sections in assembling a vertical iineof pipe including a hinge support,'and ti-toggle ior swinging the guide into operative position as to said support. 1

' 10. A pipe director including a mounting hinge, an arm therefrom, a U-member carried by the arm, a door for closing the U- member, and adjustable guides carried by the member and door. 11. A pipe director including a headache post carried hinge, an arm therefrom, a U- member carried by the arm having apair of guides, a door for closing the Umember provided with a guide concentrically disposed with the member guides, latch means for, freeing the door for opening, flexible means for swinging the door for closing, and an adjustable toggle for swinging the member and door on the hinge into and, out of operative position.

12]A well derrick, and a pipe director mounted therewith for swinging in a horizontal plane into and out of position in alignment with the well.

13. A well derrick, a pipe director mounted therewith for swinging in a horizontal plane intoand out of position of well alignment, and a toggle between the derrick and director coacting to-lock"the director in Well aligning position. -f a let. A pipe section rotation: apparatus in: cluding a first pipe grip, a second grip-rigidiy mounted for maintained axial position, and power means efi'ecting relative rotation betweensaid grips. 5'

I 15 A pipe sect-ion rotation'apparatus including a first pipe grip, a mounting with, which said gripis fixed against-movement, a second pipe rip rotatable as-to the mounting and movable towardor from the first grip, and driving means for the second grlp.

16. A pipe section rotation apparatus including a main sectional frame, first pipe gripping means carried by the frame, a sectional 'membcr rotatably mounted on said frame, driving means for rotating the sec- 1 tional member as to theframe,and second I pipe gripping means actuable by :the meme er and axially movable as to the first pipe gripping means. i

17. A pipe section rotation apparatus including a main U-frame,an adjustablepipei grippmg jaw carried thereby, a door for the frame, an opposing adjustable pipe gripping jaw carried by the door opposing the frame jaw to provide first holding means,

ARTHUR H. BEAN ON..

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,417,490, granted May 30,

1922, upon the application of Arthur H. Brandon, of Toledo, Ohio, for an improvement in Pipe-Handling Apparatus, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 117, claim 3, strike out the words against lateral movement and insert the same before the comma and after the Word mounting in line 118; and that thesaid Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of June, A. D., 1922.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting Gammz'ssz'oner of Patents. 

